The remark drew a chuckle or two from the audience at KU's Anderson Football Complex.

Members of the Wildcat nation might not have found the comment — more specifically, the "beat Kansas State" line that was missing from it — quite as humorous. Some probably felt snubbed.

K-State coach Bill Snyder, however, wasn't offended in the least.

"I doubt very seriously that Turner was slighting anyone," Snyder said by phone early Monday afternoon. "You've got to realize he's coming from New York.

"What he does know is the outcome of (KU's) last ballgame of the season (a 41-39 loss to Mizzou). That game took on a great deal of significance, as it does each and every year, and I think that is how anyone from outside the state of Kansas would view the University of Kansas in terms of what we call a rivalry. I think he was just saying probably what most people would echo in regards to that rivalry."

Snyder also praised Gill as a man of high character, saying, "I do know Turner to be a good person and very competent as a person as well as a football coach."